Invisible Beautiful Architectural Speakers
Heard but Not Seen, Invisible Beautiful Architectural Speakers.
One of the amazing things about loudspeakers is the incredible variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and finishes. For the audiophile or merely the person who has an interest in the technology itself, this is a beautiful thing. There are other folks, though, for whom speakers are a necessary nuisance – at best considered an annoying piece of furniture that inevitably mucks up the ergonomics or décor of any room they’re located in. And that’s before accounting for the speaker cables and/or power cords running across the floor.
One solution is to use architectural speakers that are installed either in-wall or in-ceiling.
This type of speaker not only offers the advantages of eliminating unwieldy or inconvenient boxes from the room, but it also gets rid of those ugly cables and wires that are so easy to trip over. It does not, however, eliminate the visual presence of speakers in the room, as nearly all architectural speakers utilize round, square, or rectangular perforated grilles. Sure, such grilles can usually be painted to match the color of the wall, but they remain a visible distraction from what might otherwise be a beautifully designed décor. Furthermore, if the room’s layout or wall/ceiling construction prevents installing the speakers in a symmetrical or similar eye-pleasing pattern, one or more of those grilles will stick out like a painted sore thumb.
The problems quickly multiply when you start adding multiple channels for a home theater system. As a result, homeowners, designers, and decorators have dreamed of the ultimate architectural solution: the invisible loudspeaker. Yet, short of some magic invisibility cloak straight out of Harry Potter (wand not included), how do you make a loudspeaker (or a 7.2.4-channel system of speakers) disappear?
Can You Make Speakers Disappear?
Although the sound quality hasn’t always been that great, invisible speakers of the non-magical type have been around for quite a while.
Significant improvements have been made over the years, though, and there are now a considerable number of companies offering high-performance invisible speakers, including Sonance, Stealth Acoustics & JBL . Although each company differs in the particulars of its product designs, the ones under discussion here utilize a similar fundamental concept that involves installing an independent vibrating flat panel (rather than the usual cone/dome-shaped transducers) flush with the wallboard and then applying paint or other type of covering over it so it completely blends in with the surrounding wall.
Of course, the entire process is much easier said than done.
Unlike a traditional-style architectural speaker, invisible in-wall or in-ceiling speakers don’t have flanges surrounding the speaker grille – indeed, they don’t use grilles at all. Flanges can conveniently hide off-kilter, crooked, or roughly cut edges in the drywall opening that the speaker is mounted in. In addition, the face panel of the invisible speaker needs to be perfectly parallel with the wallboard but extend approximately 1/16th of an inch above the surface. This means that shims are often required during the installation to ensure the correct alignment.
Once installed, most manufacturers recommend using self-adhesive nylon mesh or paper tape along the edges where the speaker panel meets the wallboard and then feathering the speaker face to the wall with standard drywall joint compound. Depending upon the final finishing technique that’ll be used, a very thin skim coat can sometimes be applied over the entire face of the speaker. It’s imperative that imperfections in the joint compound be carefully sanded and corrected before the final paint (or other finishing) is applied in order to create a visually seamless transition between the panel and wall. Needless to say, unless you have extensive, professional-level AV installation, carpentry, taping and floating, and wall finishing skills, this is not a do-it-yourself project.
One advantage of invisible speakers
Bbeyond being invisible, of course, is that the flat panel used to create and project sound into the room offers a much wider dispersion angle than do architectural speakers that rely on cone or dome transducers for mid- and, especially, high-frequency production. Whereas a typical in-room or in-wall speaker might have a relatively uniform high-frequency dispersion of around 30 to 45 degrees off-axis, invisible architectural speakers are often rated in the 80 to 90 degrees off-axis range. This is especially helpful in expanding the sweet spot to encompass more listeners as well as extending the coverage area in large rooms.
There are a couple of other issues to be aware of regarding invisible architectural speakers. Perhaps the most important is build quality and overall reliability. Just as an invisible speaker doesn’t go into a wall without a lot of effort, it doesn’t come out easily if it needs to be repaired or replaced –and, of course, the entire install process has to be repeated with the repaired or replaced unit. As a result, many companies incorporate built-in, self-resetting circuits, and/or high-pass filters to help prevent overloading the drivers to the point of failure. Furthermore, invisible speakers, like most architectural speakers, don’t offer the amount of bass output that many people look for when putting together a high-performance home theater or dedicated two-channel music system. Fortunately, there are also invisible subwoofers for folks who want the ultimate in stealthy sound.
Stealth Acoustics
Considering the company’s name, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Stealth Acoustics offers one of the most extensive selections of “totally invisible audio solutions” available today, including two models of invisible subwoofer systems – the B22G and B30G, which are sold and meant to be installed as two-panel systems.
The most impressive full-range invisible speaker system in the Stealth Acoustic’s lineup is the LRX-85, a three-way, two-panel system that the company says requires “no special bass-limiting filters, ancillary protection circuits or external subwoofers.” (If that’s not enough for you, there’s also an active, bi-amplified version, called the LRX-85ACT.) Because the bass-producing panel is separate from the mid/high-frequency panel, there is much more flexibility in terms of installation placement in a room. (The company suggests placing the two panels within one meter of each other.) Stealth Acoustics says that the LRX-85’s 300-watt power handling enables the speaker configuration to generate up to 105 dB of output with low-frequency response down to an impressive (for an invisible speaker, anyway) 35 Hz. Finish options include latex paint, flat finish, orange peel texture, light plaster, light wallpaper, light fabric, wood veneer, and other selected finishes.
Sonance
In 1983, Sonance became one of the very first companies to make speakers specifically designed for architectural use. In the intervening years, the company’s product assortment expanded, and, as you would expect, it includes several models of invisible speakers. The two-way IS2 is “designed for tight installations or very small spaces,” while the larger, three-way IS4 is engineered for higher performance in larger spaces. The IS4 SST is a single-stereo speaker version of the basic IS4, while the IS4 C is one of the few invisible speakers on the market engineered specifically for use in 70- or 100-volt systems.
Sonance rates the IS2 and IS4 down to 50 Hz and 40 Hz, respectively, but the bass response can be reinforced invisibly with the company’s ISW dedicated subwoofer panel. The ISW uses two 2-inch voice coils to drive a 170 sq. inch planar diaphragm that Sonance says can reach frequencies as low as 35 Hz. Every IS-series speaker includes built-in, independent, self-resetting gel switches (for low, mid, and high, depending upon the driver configuration); and the planar paper surfaces can be used with up to 1/8-inch of flexible material – such as joint compound, plaster, or wallpaper – or paint.
JBL Synthesis
The JBL Synthesis C62 2-Element Invisible Speaker is a high-performance invisible architectural loudspeaker that features a single panel design with premium acoustic performance. The C62 panel includes a rigid frame that houses the drivers and acoustic components that would be found on a conventional visible architectural in-wall or in-ceiling loudspeaker. The frame attaches directly to the structural framing of the wall, while the face of the loudspeaker – the FidelityGlass™ panel – features a smooth and durable surface that is designed to be finished in a similar fashion to the wallboard surrounding it. With the edges of the loudspeaker flush to the wallboard, the seams are taped and spackled using common methods and techniques. Once sanded and properly prepared, you simply need to paint or wallpaper the surface of the loudspeaker to match your desired finish.
The C62 contains a drive element working in tandem with the FidelityGlass™ acoustic panel to provide the high-and mid-frequency component of the sound. The panel also utilizes a 6.5-inch low-frequency driver working in tandem with the FidelityGlass panel to deliver bass performance. This combination of drivers and patented technologies results in high-performance sound that rivals that of traditional in-wall loudspeakers.
The foundation of the panel of the C62 is a compression molded baffle that provides a rigid frame for the entire assembly. The FidelityGlass acoustic panel is affixed to the frame and serves as the diaphragm for the transducers. Within the panel, one neodymium mid-and high-frequency driver works in harmony with the custom materials and tuning of the FidelityGlass panel to deliver pristine details and accurate sound. Balancing out the C62 system, a 6.5-inch (165mm) high-power woofer operating in conjunction with the FidelityGlass panel and a tuned enclosure delivers the bottom end. The advanced crossover network is based upon JBL’s industry-leading acoustic expertise and includes self-resetting protection circuitry for the C62 system ensuring ultimate reliability over the long-term. The integrated wooden back box enclosure helps to focus the sound into the room and minimize acoustic intrusion into adjacent spaces.
Installation of the Conceal invisible loudspeaker is achieved much as you would install a standard drywall patch. For new construction, a wooden place holder board accessory is available to mark the location while the drywall is installed. Detailed instructions are available to help ensure a proper installation. After installing and rechecking the registration of the panel against the drywall, it is key to test the loudspeakers for proper operation with an amplified sound source before moving on to the drywall taping and finishing stages.
The complete invisibility of the Conceal Series products combined with their broad hemispherical acoustic coverage pattern allows for optimal placement virtually anywhere in a room, be it in a wall or ceiling location. The finished aesthetic benefits far exceed that of a traditional in-wall or in-ceiling loudspeaker resulting in a new level of performance. The JBL Conceal Series is the ultimate solution for high-performance architectural audio.
Hiding in Plain Sight
It’s often been said that one of the best ways to keep something secret – especially if you’re the military or a three-letter government agency – is to hide it in plain sight. Even if your intentions aren’t the sort of thing that would make a thrilling plot for the next Bond film, installing invisible architectural speakers in the walls or ceilings of your home is an excellent way of eliminating the physical inconveniences and visual annoyances of standard in-room speakers and traditional architectural speakers.
Of course, there are trade-offs to be made when you go the route of invisible speakers, most importantly the additional cost and complication of installation. But once the speakers are installed and the paint, wallpaper, or other type of finish is applied, the speakers will be out-of-sight and out-of-mind – until you turn the system on. Then the fact that these speakers are meant to be heard and not seen will likely blow your mind and make you the envy of designers, decorators, and homeowners for whom the experience is more important than the components.
Hopefully that provided a quick overview of Invisible or Concealed Speakers.
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Deano / Bensan / Toki / Simon
